London, Royal Academy of Arts

Leading figures of Brazilian modernism

How Brazil broke away from Europe: with selected works by ten important artists of Brazilian modernism, the exhibition Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism traces this identity-forming development. The show opens on January 28 at the Royal Academy in London.

January 28, 2025
Vicente do Rego Monteiro, Archer, 1925
Private collection, São Paulo, Brazil. Courtesy of Almeida & Dale Galeria de Arte / Photo: Sergio Guerini. © Vicente do Rego Monteiro
Vicente do Rego Monteiro, Archer, 1925. Oil on canvas, 108 x 137 cm

Since the 1910s, Brazilian artists have increasingly incorporated European modernist art movements into their work. Anita Malfatti, who lived in Berlin from 1910 to 1914 and had her first solo exhibition in São Paulo in 1917, is an example of this practice. Her expressive approach divided the public, but in the following years the influence she exerted on other artists became clear. The 1920s are considered the first phase of Modernismo brasileiro. The adaptation of the European art movement was followed by its replacement with the goal of a new, Brazilian expression. Brazilian modernism, which is considered to have ended in the 1970s, is extremely multifaceted: Brazil is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world as a result of extensive immigration. With over 130 works of art by ten selected artists, the Royal Academy in London presents this complexity. Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism runs from January 28 to April 21.

In addition to Anita Malfatti, works by Vicente do Rego Monteiro, Candido Portinari, Djanira da Motta e Silva, Flávio de Carvalho, Lasar Segall, Alfredo Volpi, Tarsila do Amaral, Geraldo de Barros and Rubem Valentim are also on display. There are at least ten works by each artist in the exhibition, most of whom have their own room dedicated to them. The majority of the exhibits come from Brazilian public collections as well as some rarely exhibited Brazilian private collections. Most of the artworks on display have never been seen in the UK before.

One section of the exhibition is dedicated to the Exhibition of Modern Brazilian Paintings, a show that took place at the Royal Academy in 1944. Almost 170 works of art by 70 artists were presented at the time, 23 of which were subsequently donated to British museums. The exhibition was organized to raise funds in wartime, primarily for the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. Seven of the works exhibited 80 years ago are being shown again in the current exhibition, three of which are by Roberto Burle Marx.Art.Salon

Candido Portinari, The Scarecrow, 1940
Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate, North Yorkshire Council. Photo © Gary Lawson Media. © Portinari, Candido / © DACS 2024
Candido Portinari, The Scarecrow, 1940. Oil on canvas, 99 x 83 cm

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